Friday, September 18, 2009

Another fully built bike! This gives us the opportunity to show it off. There is nothing like a completed bike, fresh from the work stand.

It's always nice to see that the bike is not viewed as just a vehicle to hang random parts on, but is approached as an entire package.

Each part is selected, not just for its performance value, but also its aesthetics. Dashes of color here and there add small interesting focal points that draw the eye around the canvas of the completed bike.The subtle attention to details are what make the builds so exquisite. From the wrapping of the handlebars to the final positioning and tuning of each of the parts, each moment of the build is approached in an almost formal way, blending traditional build etiquette with new high tech parts.To go into all of the subtleties of what makes Justin's builds so pro would take forever, so I decided to focus on one aspect: cable routing.

Starting at the lever, each cable is cut to the right length and routed in a way to minimize cable drag.Following the derailleur cables you will notice that the placement of the logos, in this case Dura Ace, is visible just above the adjustment barrel. This is the proper way to do it, recognized through the ages as one of the signatures of a pro build.

The adjustment barrels are also set so that there is room to adjust for future cable stretch.

In some cases crossing cables makes for more efficient routing between the handlebars and the adjustment barrels.Double crimping on all of the cable ends, it's sort of like officially signing off on the routing of each cable.

When the build is completed the customer recieves a bike that is race ready, with no immediate adjustments nessasary.